Anti-vax border breacher Michael Sanders sentenced

A vaccine-hesitant criminal whose downward spiral ended in a 200km high-speed chase has been sentenced – while infected with Covid-19.

A man whose refusal to get vaccinated sparked a cross-border crime spree that ended in a high-speed, head-on smash has been sentenced – while infected with Covid-19.

On Thursday, Michael Sanders faced the District Court by video link from prison, clad in personal protective equipment due to his infectious status.

In sentencing, Judge Ian Press noted Sanders was affected by economic, emotional and health pressures at the time of his offending.

However, he said those factors provided little excuse for leading police on a 245km chase, at speeds of up to 163km/h, when he had numerous opportunities to stop.

“Your process of reasoning is largely unexplained because you have very little memory of the decisions you made in the course of avoiding police and driving dangerously,” he said.

“That you describe your driving as if it ‘were a dream’ is most concerning and provides some insight into the danger you posed on the road.

“To describe you as a danger to other road users is an understatement.”

An innocent driver was injured as a result of Michael Sanders’ driving. Picture: 7 News.

Sanders, 29, of Norlane in Victoria, pleaded guilty to offences ranging from causing harm by dangerous driving to resisting police and breaching Covid-19 directions.

In November 2021 he drove a stolen car – at high speed, around road spikes and while pursued by a helicopter – from Victoria to SA through the Covid-19 hard border.

He blamed “a disastrous chain of events” starting with his refusal to get vaccinated, followed by unemployment, unrequited love, angry social media posts and methylamphetamine.

The incident caused traffic chaos on the Northern Expressway. Picture: 7 News.

On Thursday, Judge Press said Sanders was doubtlessly experiencing “disordered thinking and panic” at the time, due most likely to his drug use.

That substance abuse habit had started, he said, when Sanders was very young, sometime after he had been “abandoned” by both of his parents.

“Your time in custody has provided you with some clarity of thought, and it appears you’ve attempted to use your time positively,” he said.

“Whether you maintain that motivation will obviously depend on your willingness to abstain from drugs when you are released.”

He jailed Sanders for two years and eight months, with a 16-month non-parole period.

Sanders’ licence was disqualified for six years.